Self-threading needle



Sept. 29,1970 J; G. DOIRON 31, SELF-THREADING NEEDLE v Filed Jan 25, 1959 INVENTOR JOSEPH GI DOlRON ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,531,030 SELF-THREADING NEEDLE Joseph G. Doiron, Quinn Road,

Barre Plains, Mass. 01006 Filed Jan. 23, 1969, Ser. No. 793,328 Int. Cl. A41h 31/00 US. Cl. 223-102 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A needle having an eye and a slit from the extreme end of the needle adjacent the eye into the eye at one side of the longitudinal axis of the needle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many suggestions have been made to provide for selfthreading needles but in the past these have been too costly or difiicult to make in ineffective and ditficult to use. This invention provides an inexpensive easily made needle which is extremely simple and easy to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A conventional eyed needle is lanced (slit) from a point at the extreme end of the needle at the eye, into the eye along a line offset from the longitudinal axis of the needle forming a convergent entrance into the eye for reception of the thread, the entrance being formed by a free-ended leg which forms a side run of the material at one side of the eye, and a spur that is formed by the lancing operation, the spur opposing the free-ended leg and in effect underlying a portion of it.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of the new selfthreading needle, illustrated in conjunction with a loop of thread;

FIG. 2 is similar, illustrating threading;

FIG. 3 is also similar and shows how the thread is locked in the eye of the needle, and

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating the manner of removing the thread.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION the spur, due to tension in the material of the needle, but in cases where this should not occur, the spur may be easily pressed outwards to approximate the relative position of the parts in FIG. 1.

This position of spur 20 and leg 16 provides a converging gap or throat 24 for the quick and easy reception of the looped thread 26. This gap or throat presents no sharp edge or point so that the thread may be merely looped over a finger of one hand, and the needle thrust to the left, scooping up the thread and moving it past the point of the spur, FIG. 2, into the eye.

The thread is now locked, FIG. 3, and cannot accidentally escape in use. However, it is easily removed if desired, by pulling on it in the direction of the arrows in FIG. 4, as the leg 16 is resilient as is the spur.

This invention provides a very simple way of making a foolproof self-threading needle that is quick and easy in operation and which requires no complicated structure or elaborate manufacturing techniques.

I claim:

1. A self-threading needle comprising an elongated member sharp at one end and having an eye formed at the other end,

and an outer end corresponding terminal point of the elongated member,

said eye having a free-ended leg extending from the inner end of the loop and terminating in overlapped relation to the outer end of the loop short of a terminal point of said elongated member, said leg extending on an incline away from the axis of the elongated member in a direction toward the said terminal point,

and a spur extending from said terminal point reversely toward and inwardly of the leg at the inside edge thereof, the spur having an inner end contacting the inside edge of the leg and forming therewith a converging sided entrance into the loop,

said entrance being located inwardly from a terminal point of the elongated member.

2. The self-threading needle of claim 1 wherein the free-ended leg is resilient.

3. The self-threading needle of claim 1 wherein the axis of the converging sided entrance is on a line offset r from the axis of the needle.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 2/1927 England. 2/1921 Germany. 

